Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

According to Real Clear Politics , The San Francisco Chronicle is one of ten newspapers in trouble.  The total list in order from "still alive" to "almost passed on" is: 10. NY Daily News 9. LA Times 8. St. Paul Pioneer Press 7. Chicago Sun-Times 6. Detroit News 5. San Francisco Chronicle 4. Miami Herald 3. Philadelphia Daily News 2. Rocky Mountain News 1. Seattle Post-Intelligencer The San Francisco Chronicle, at number five, may cease to exist if management and union can't get together on an adjustment to the collective bargaining agreement.  (UPDATE: Seattle P-I reported close to closure ).  That did happen on Monday, with Thursday of this week set as the day for a large meeting for the Chronicle Guild to ratify the agreement.  As of the making of the video, no place was secured but that was to happen today, Tuesday.  It did according to Mediaworkers.org. The day and time of the meeting is Thursday, March 12,  5-8 p.m respectively and the

I just got an email regarding the screening of a new movie called "Medicine for Melancholy" which is tommorrow at 7:20 PM.  You can RSVP via their Facebook Page but here's some basic info: The Osiris Coalition and Citizen Hope are proud to sponsor a special screening of Medicine for Melancholy THIS SUNDAY AT 7:20pm at Landmark Embarcadero Cinemas. The crowd-pleasing love story set in San Francisco confronts the issue of race and identity in the wake of the African American exodus from San Francisco. Sunday March 8, 2009 @ 7:20pm DIRECTOR BARRY JENKINS WILL BE ON HAND FOR Q & A SESSION This film is getting incredible reviews and we have this awesome opportunity to support a San Francisco director and dialogue with him about his work. The film is set to show in San Francisco for one week only--but if it gets a great turnout this weekend, it could be here for longer. So even if you can't make our screening, please go out and see it this weekend.

I have it from several sources that Mayor Ron Dellums plans to meet with A's Owner Lew Wolff after Baseball Spring Training.  That's an expansion on the other story that the City was making moves to contact the A's and present a plan.   What's good about this bit of news is the Mayor and not the Vice Mayor's doing the apparent heavy lifting. Nothing against Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente, but it's time Oakland sent a clear leadership message to sports business owners, and that means the Mayor.  Period.    It also means we fall in and help him, and that organizations like the Chamber of Commerce avoid this knee-jerk tendency to form their own task force and try to get what they want, which is the ego-satisfaction of being involved at a major level.   What the Chamber has done is made it's own group in the past which has always made politics more complicated. Please, not this time.  That's Joe Haraburda's set of orders I write: stay home and wo

I wrote a blog post over at Zennie62 that I urge you to read.  You can understand the real nature of the compromise bill that's passing the Senate.  Click: Zennie62 on Economic Recovery Act  .

My friend Michael McGuire passed away of a sudden heart attack Saturday night January 24th. The Berkeley High and U.C. Berkeley grad was just 46 years old and lived in Berkeley. The funeral services for Michael McGuire on Wednesday February 4, 2009. Here's the full schedule of events. Public Viewing Fouche's Hudson Funeral Home 3665 Telegraph Avenue Oakland, CA. 94609 510 654 8558 Tuesday - 2/3/09 12noon - 5:00pm Funeral Services for Michael McGuire on Wednesday February 4, 2009 The Church By the Side of the Road 2108 Russell Street Berkeley, CA. 94705 510- 644-0954 Viewing/Visitation 11am - 12pm Service 12noon - 1:00pm Repast 1pm - 2pm Directions: The church is near Shattuck and Ashby Avenues. The most recognizable Street is Ashby Avenue. Russell Street is one block North of Ashby Avenue, and the church is one block east of Shattuck Avenue. If you need additional information feel free to call 510 326 0093 or

More at Today in Montclair : “In Oakland, the best-known White Elephant Sale is about to celebrate its 50th birthday!  There’s a preview sale tomorrow, followed by the full event in March. The Oakland Museum Women’s Board (OMWB) organizes this annual extravaganza to raise funds for the museum.  They raised only $500 back in 1959, the first year the sale was held.  Fast forward, and the OMWB hauled in a whopping $1.28 million last year.”